It’s a question I’ve asked before, though in a different context: If the George Santayana axiom that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it is true, and I believe it is, what do we make of people who couldn’t care less about said past?
In every facet of life, history holds lessons that can be applied to today and tomorrow. Faces, places and specific circumstances change, but human actions and behaviors generally remain on the same rinse-repeat cycle until we, as a people, realize that the past is not and need not be prologue. (Or something like that.) It’s how history is made.
That said, I’d add a second sentence to the axiom: Those who fail to recognize the present are sure to repeat it, too. And the sad reality of today is that much good music gets lost because of the sprawling maze that’s become the “music industry.” What reigns supreme at the top of the charts is never the be- and end-all of the current scene, of course, but many folks – both young and older, though mostly the older – seem to assume that’s the case. And while much of that chart-topping music is good – there’s so much more that deserves to be heard.
So after a weekend spent looking back, I thought it might be best to spend some time surveying the present. Which leads to today’s top 5: New Music, Vol. XX.
1) Beau + Luci – “Deeper Well.” According to their website bio, these two sisters – who describe themselves as “flower children with rock-and-roll souls” – hail from the swamplands of Southern Georgia. Here, they cover the classic song “Deeper Well,” which was originally written and recorded by folk-country singer David Olney in 1989 before being slightly retooled by Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois for Emmylou’s classic Wrecking Ball album.
And here they are, again, performing their own “Like a Drum.”
2) House and Land – “The Day Is Past and Gone.” Another duo act. According to their label’s bio, Sally Anne Morgan and Sarah Louise met when Sarah opened for the Appalachian old-time band the Black Twig Pickers, for whom Sally plays fiddle. This song is intense:
3) Joan Shelley – “Where I’ll Find You.” The Louisville-based singer-songwriter released her fourth album, an eponymous set produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, to wondrous reviews last month. Here she is singing one of its tracks on Later…with Jools Holland.
4) The DuPont Brothers – “Attention Spans.” I discovered this duo, siblings from Vermont, the old-fashioned way when they opened for Garland Jeffreys at the World Cafe Live earlier this month. They stunned me with their songs, harmonies and guitar licks.
5) Stevie Parker – “Without You.” The Bristol-based, Adele-influenced singer has a voice…and enough heartbreak to fill an album’s worth of songs. She’s good.
And one bonus…
Paul Weller – “Woo Sé Mama.” Granted, Weller is far from a new act. But A Kind of Revolution, which kicks off with this catchy number, is a new album from him.
The Old Grey Cat 
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